Policies and Procedures

This document provides procedures and guidance for the use, reporting, documentation and oversight of seclusion and restraint in St. Tammany Parish Public Schools (STPPS) following issuance of regulations by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), Louisiana Department of Education (LDE).

These procedures specifically address the statutory requirements of LaR.S.17:416.21 (Louisiana Act 328 of 2011) and revised Louisiana Bulletin 1706 regarding the use of seclusion and restraint as emergency safety measures to control the actions of students with exceptionalities in Louisiana’s public schools. It is understood that this procedural/guidance document is a work in progress and in no way constitutes the totality of interventions and strategies that may be used by the STPPS and its personnel in addressing the educational needs of students with exceptionalities.

For the purposes of this document, St. Tammany Parish Public Schools may encompass policies adopted by the STPPS, administrative procedures implemented by school administrators and school employees (as defined herein) and guided forms developed to assist school employees in carrying out their responsibilities under LaRS. 17:416.21 (Act 328 of 2011) and applicable sections of Louisiana Bulletin 1706.

IMMINENT RISK OF HARM -- An immediate and impending threat of a person
causing substantial injury to self or others.

MECHANICAL RESTRAINT -- The application of any device or object used to limit a
person’s movement.

• This term does NOT include a protective or stabilizing device used in strict
• accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions for proper use and which is
• used in compliance with orders issued by an appropriately licensed health care
• provider.
• This term does NOT include any device used by a duly licensed law
• enforcement officer in the execution of his official duties

PHYSICAL RESTRAINT -- Bodily force used to limit a person’s movement.

• This term does NOT include consensual, solicited, or unintentional contact.
• This term does NOT include momentary blocking of a student's action if said
  action is likely to result in harm to the student or any other person.
• This term does NOT include holding of a student, by one school
  employee, for the purpose of calming or comforting the student, provided
  the student’s freedom of movement or normal access to his/her body is not restricted.
• This term does NOT include minimal physical contact for the purpose of safely escorting a student from one area to another.
• This term does NOT include minimal physical contact for the purpose of assisting the student in completing a task of response.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORT -- A systematic approach to
embed evidence-based practices and data-driven decision making when addressing student behavior in order to improve school climate.

SCHOOL EMPLOYEE -- A teacher, paraprofessional, administrator, support staff
member, or provider of related services.

SECLUSION -- A procedure that isolates and confines a student in a separate room or area until he/she is no longer an immediate danger to self or others. 

SECLUSION ROOM -- A room or other confined area, used on an individual basis, in which a student is removed from the regular classroom setting for a limited time to allow the student the opportunity to regain control in a private setting and from which the student is involuntarily prevented from leaving.

WRITTEN GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES -- The written guidelines and procedures adopted by a school’s governing authority regarding appropriate responses to student behavior that may require immediate intervention.

Seclusion shall be used only:

• For behaviors that involve an imminent risk of harm.
• As a last resort when de-escalation attempts have failed and the student continues to pose an imminent threat to self or others.

Seclusion shall not be used to address behaviors such as general noncompliance, self-stimulation, and academic refusal. Such behaviors shall be responded to with less stringent and less restrictive techniques.

A seclusion room shall be used only as a last resort and when less restrictive measures, such as positive behavioral supports, constructive and non-physical de-escalation, and restructuring of a student's environment, have failed to stop a student's actions that pose an imminent risk of harm.

A student shall be placed in a seclusion room only by a school employee who uses accepted methods of escorting a student to a seclusion room, placing a student in a seclusion room, and supervising a student while he or she is in the seclusion room.

Only one student may be placed in a seclusion room at any given time, and the school employee supervising the student must be able to see and hear the student the entire time the student is placed in the seclusion room.

A seclusion room shall:

1. be free of any object that poses a danger to the student placed in the room;
2. have an observation window and be of a size that is appropriate for the student’s size, behavior, and chronological and developmental age; and
3. have a ceiling height and heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting systems comparable to operating classrooms in the school.

Physical Restraint shall be used only:

• When a student’s behavior presents a threat of imminent risk of harm to self or others and only as a last resort to protect the safety of self and others;
• To the degree necessary to stop dangerous behavior; and
• In the manner that causes no physical injury to the student, then results in the least possible discomfort, and does not interfere in any way with a student’s breathing or ability to communicate with others.

No student shall be subjected to any form of mechanical restraint.

No student shall be physically restrained in a manner that places excessive pressure on the student’s chest or back or that causes asphyxia.

A student shall be physically restrained only in a manner that is directly proportionate to the circumstances and to the student’s size, age, and severity of behavior.

A. Seclusion and physical restraint shall not be used as a form of discipline or punishment, as a threat to control, bully, or obtain behavioral compliance, or for the convenience of school personnel.

B. No student shall be subjected to unreasonable, unsafe, or unwarranted use of seclusion or physical restraint.

C. A student shall not be placed in seclusion or physically restrained if he or she is known to have any medical or psychological condition that precludes such action, as certified by a licensed health care provider in a written statement provided to the school in which the student is enrolled.

D. A student who has been placed in seclusion or has been physically restrained shall be monitored continuously. Such monitoring shall be documented at least every 15 minutes and adjustments made accordingly, based upon observations of the student’s behavior.

E. A student shall be removed from seclusion or released from physical restraint as soon as the reasons for justifying such action have subsided.

F. The parent or other legal guardian of a student who has been placed in seclusion or physically restrained shall be notified as soon as possible. The school shall document all efforts, including conversations, phone calls, electronic communications, and home visits, to notify the parent of a student who has been placed in seclusion or physically restrained. The student’s parent or other legal guardian shall also be notified in writing, within 24 hours, of each incident of seclusion or physical restraint. Such notice shall include the reason for such seclusion or physical restraint, the procedures used, the length of time of the student’s seclusion or physical restraint, and the names and titles of any school employee involved.

G. The Director of Students with Exceptionalities shall be notified any time a student is placed in seclusion or is physically restrained.

H. A school employee who has placed a student in seclusion or who has physically restrained a student shall document and report each incident in accordance with the policies adopted by the school’s governing authority. Such report shall be submitted to the school principal not later than the school day immediately following the day on which the student was placed in seclusion or physically restrained and a copy shall be provided to the student’s parent or legal guardian.

I. If a student is involved in five incidents in a single school year involving the use of physical restraint or seclusion, the student’s individualized education plan team shall review and revise the student’s behavior intervention plan to include any appropriate and necessary behavioral supports. Thereafter, if the student's challenging behavior continues or escalates requiring repeated use of seclusion or physical restraint practices, the Director of Students with Exceptionalities or her designee shall review the student's plans at least once every three weeks.

An incident report is completed at any school in which a student has been physically restrained or placed into seclusion. (Appendix A) The original report remains with the Principal, with a copy being disseminated to the Director of Students with Exceptionalities and the parent or legal guardian.

Monthly, the Director of Students with Exceptionalities or her designee shall report all instances where seclusion or physical restraint is used to address student behavior to the Department of Education through the special education reporting (SER) system.

The state Department of Education, using the data elements collected in SER, shall maintain a database of all reported incidents of seclusion and physical restraint of students with disabilities and shall disaggregate the data for analysis by school, student, age, race, ethnicity, gender, student disability, and any involved school employees.

Behavior intervention following a physical restraint or the use of seclusion:

• The Behavior Coach assigned to the school should be contacted immediately following the use of physical restraint or seclusion for any student (Students with Exceptionalities, 504 plans, or General Education).
• A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) should be considered whenever a student is secluded or restrained, but at a minimum a team meeting should be conducted and the fidelity of current interventions reviewed and new interventions implemented according to the Triad of Instruction for Behavior (see Guidelines for Behavior Intervention - Companion Guide).
• If a Behavior Intervention Plan is already in effect, and the target behavior listed on the BIP resulted in a restraint or the use of seclusion, then the team should reconvene to review fidelity and discuss/revise current interventions.
• Any student subject to the need for seclusion or physical restraint on more than one occasion in a semester shall have a new FBA initiated within ten days and a BIP written or modified immediately following the completion of the FBA that specifically prioritizes the use of positive behavior interventions and supports.
• Progress monitoring at regular, frequent intervals (at least once every 3 weeks) shall be a specific component of the new or revised BIP.
• The Behavior Coach assigned at the student’s school shall actively participate in the FBA and drafting of the BIP.

The St. Tammany Parish School Board has approved the following guidelines and procedures relative to the use of seclusion and restraint by its employees:

Notification requirements for school officials and parents/legal guardians:

The use of seclusion and/or restraint will be used only when students present a clear danger to themselves or others. The use of Seclusion and Restraint must be strictly and systematically documented by school personnel. Whenever seclusion and/or restraint is used in response to imminent risk of harm, all staff involved must complete an Incident Report (attached). Each report shall be completed within 24 hours of the incident and signed/initialed by all staff involved. Copies will then be distributed to the school principal, Director of Students with Exceptionalities, and the parent or legal guardian.

If injuries were incurred by staff or students during the incident, staff members should also complete a St. Tammany Parish Accident Report.

A student’s IEP should be reconvened, as needed, to address behavioral concerns and to develop interventions to prevent behaviors from recurring.

Explanation of methods of physical restraint:

Training is provided to employees at each school site in Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® techniques developed by the Crisis Prevention Institute, Inc. Trainers are St. Tammany Parish employees who have participated in the Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NCI) Trainer of Trainers program and are certified and updated regularly as Trainers in NCI. Nonviolent Crisis Intervention training provides an effective framework for preventing, deescalating, and safely responding to crisis behavior. The philosophy of Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security SM expands throughout the continuum of interventions which includes recognizing the stages of an escalating crisis and techniques to appropriately de-escalate. Additionally, risk assessment and evaluation of the crisis is done to determine the leastrestrictive response. Post-crisis strategies are used to assist with re-establishing communication between the student and adult.

Key elements of NCI responses include:

• Identify behavior that indicates an escalation toward aggressive and violent behavior and take appropriate measures to avoid, decelerate and/or de-escalate crisis situations;

• Assessing the level of risk associated with crisis behavior and make appropriate decisions related to management of such risks;

• Using suitable and acceptable physical interventions to reduce or manage risk behavior; and • Identify the impact of crisis events and Postvention responses that can be used for support and learning.

Training requirements:

Employees required to participate in training include the following:

• Special Education Teachers
• Paraprofessionals
• Speech Therapists
• Special Education Bus Operators
• Bus Attendants
• School Counselors
• Mental Health Providers
• Behavior Coaches
• Principals, Assistant Principals, and Administrative Assistants
• School-based crisis team members
• Any other employee designated for training by the Director of Students with Exceptionalities.

Initial Training:

Employees must first complete an Initial training session to become certified in the use of NCI methodology. Program content is strictly dictated by NCI Quality Standards and must follow a directed sequence.

Refresher (Follow-up) Training:

In order to maintain certification, staff members must attend annual refresher courses. The purpose of the refresher is to review the Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® program and provide clarification of program information and application.

At both initial and refresher training sessions, participants must complete a Post- Test designed to assess their knowledge and understanding of course content. Participants receive a one-year NCI certification upon successful completion of the Post-Test. In addition to meeting the NCI training requirements, participating staff will also be required to sign a NCI Training Verification (Appendix B). This confirms the employee’s commitment to utilize NCI verbal interventions as necessary and the Nonviolent Physical Crisis Intervention restraint techniques appropriately as a last resort when there is imminent risk of harm to self or others. This verification also states that a Seclusion and/or Restraint Incident Report (Appendix A) will be completed whenever Seclusion and/or Restraint is used. In addition, the training participant is verifying their knowledge and review of the Seclusion and Restraint guidelines and procedures.

Documentation of training is maintained by the Students with Exceptionalities Department. Participant rosters and post-tests are forwarded to the Crisis Prevention Institute in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Dissemination of guidelines and procedures:

Seclusion and restraint guidelines and procedures will be distributed to the Louisiana Department of Education, all STPPS employees and every parent of a child with a disability. The guidelines and procedures shall also be posted at each school and on each school's website. The seclusion and restraint guidelines and procedures can also be referenced through the public St. Tammany Parish Public Schools website.

Applicants should complete the 2024-2025 Common Charter School Application found here.

Applicants should complete the appropriate application based on whether or not they are a New Charter Operator, an Experienced Charter Operator or an applicant proposing to open a Virtual Charter School.

• August 26, 2024: LDOE releases common applications and toolboxes with application resources.
• September 9, 2024: Deadline for local school authorizers to release Charter Requests for Applications, Timeline, Process, and Point of Contact.
• October 3, 2024: In accordance with Bulletin 126, Chapter 3, §311 (https://www.doa.la.gov/media/iscnmmbz/28v139.doc) St. Tammany Parish School Board shall provide an orientation session for interested applicants. All potential applicants are required to attend to receive a clear understanding of the application process, expectations for high-quality applications, evaluation criteria, and authorizer expectations upon approval. This orientation session shall be held in person or virtually. Potential applicants should email Mr. Frank Jabbia at Frank.Jabbia@stpsb.org by 5:00 P.M. on October 1, 2024 in order to receive an invitation to this session. If you are unable to attend this orientation, please email Mr. Frank Jabbia to schedule an alternative orientation time and date. No applications will be accepted prior to this session.
• October 25, 2024: Local school boards submission deadline for the full application for Type 1 and Type 3 applicants. Applicants should email all application components to Frank.Jabbia@stpsb.org.
• November 11, 2024: Local school boards notify LDOE and state legislators of charter applications received within each district.
• January 17, 2025: Last day for St. Tammany Parish School Board to make decisions to approve or deny charter applications.
• January 31, 2025: Local school boards notify LDOE of board recommendations.

Click here to view the St. Tammany Parish Public Schools Charter School Orientation Session from October 3, 2024. 

All charter applications will be reviewed by an independent evaluator with educational, organizational, legal, and financial expertise. Applicants will have the opportunity to provide to the evaluator a written response to the independent evaluation of their charter application before the evaluator provides a final recommendation to St. Tammany Parish  School Board.

Individuals or organizations with questions about the district's charter application process should contact:

Mr. Frank Jabbia, Superintendent
Frank.Jabbia@stpsb.org
985-898-3214